Shell opens new Arctic frontier

October 31, 2012 1:51 PM

Donald LeCourt, Shell Alaska's wells HSE team leader, and other workers take a helicopter ride to the Noble Discoverer during a crew change on Oct. 9, 2012. In preparation for the hour-long flights over frigid Arctic waters, crew members must complete helicopter underwater escape training and don one-piece Mustang Survival immersion suits filled with foam for insulation and buoyancy. (Photo: Jennifer A. Dlouhy / The Houston Chronicle) (Jennifer A. Dlouhy) less

Donald LeCourt, Shell Alaska's wells HSE team leader, and other workers take a helicopter ride to the Noble Discoverer during a crew change on Oct. 9, 2012. In preparation for the hour-long flights over frigid ... more

The drillship Noble Discoverer is boring a well in the Chukchi Sea north of Alaska. (Photo: Jennifer A. Dlouhy / The Houston Chronicle) (Jennifer A. Dlouhy)

The drillship Noble Discoverer is boring a well in the Chukchi Sea north of Alaska. (Photo: Jennifer A. Dlouhy / The Houston Chronicle) (Jennifer A. Dlouhy)

The drillship Noble Discoverer is boring a well in the Chukchi Sea... Photo-3574420.50494 - Houston Chronicle

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The drillship Noble Discoverer is boring a well in the Chukchi Sea north of Alaska. (Photo: Jennifer A. Dlouhy / The Houston Chronicle) (Jennifer A. Dlouhy)

The drillship Noble Discoverer is boring a well in the Chukchi Sea north of Alaska. (Photo: Jennifer A. Dlouhy / The Houston Chronicle) (Jennifer A. Dlouhy)

The drillship Noble Discoverer is boring a well in the Chukchi Sea... Photo-3574421.50494 - Houston Chronicle

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The drillship Noble Discoverer is boring a well in the Chukchi Sea north of Alaska. (Photo: Jennifer A. Dlouhy / The Houston Chronicle) (Jennifer A. Dlouhy)

The drillship Noble Discoverer is boring a well in the Chukchi Sea north of Alaska. (Photo: Jennifer A. Dlouhy / The Houston Chronicle) (Jennifer A. Dlouhy)

The drillship Noble Discoverer is boring a well in the Chukchi Sea... Photo-3574422.50494 - Houston Chronicle

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The drillship Noble Discoverer is boring a well in the Chukchi Sea north of Alaska. (Photo: Jennifer A. Dlouhy / The Houston Chronicle) (Jennifer A. Dlouhy)

The drillship Noble Discoverer is boring a well in the Chukchi Sea north of Alaska. (Photo: Jennifer A. Dlouhy / The Houston Chronicle) (Jennifer A. Dlouhy)

The drillship Noble Discoverer is boring a well in the Chukchi Sea... Photo-3574423.50494 - Houston Chronicle

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The drillship Noble Discoverer is boring a well in the Chukchi Sea north of Alaska. (Photo: Jennifer A. Dlouhy / The Houston Chronicle) (Jennifer A. Dlouhy)

The drillship Noble Discoverer is boring a well in the Chukchi Sea north of Alaska. (Photo: Jennifer A. Dlouhy / The Houston Chronicle) (Jennifer A. Dlouhy)

The drillship Noble Discoverer is boring a well in the Chukchi Sea... Photo-3574424.50494 - Houston Chronicle

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Workers step off a helicopter onto the Noble Discoverer during a crew change Oct. 9, 2012. The Discoverer is boring a well for Shell in the Chukchi Sea north of Alaska. Most Shell employees and some contractors on the vessel generally work three week shifts -- with three-week breaks in between the stints. (Photo: Jennifer A. Dlouhy / The Houston Chronicle) (Jennifer A. Dlouhy) less

Workers step off a helicopter onto the Noble Discoverer during a crew change Oct. 9, 2012. The Discoverer is boring a well for Shell in the Chukchi Sea north of Alaska. Most Shell employees and some contractors ... more

Shown here is one of the two cranes on the drillship Noble Discoverer, which Shell is using to search for oil in the Chukchi Sea north of Alaska. The cranes can't be used once the temperature dips below 0 degrees celsius -- a challenge in this chilly, Arctic environment. (Photo: Jennifer A. Dlouhy / The Houston Chronicle) (Jennifer A. Dlouhy) less

Shown here is one of the two cranes on the drillship Noble Discoverer, which Shell is using to search for oil in the Chukchi Sea north of Alaska. The cranes can't be used once the temperature dips below 0 ... more

Shown here is one of the two cranes on the drillship Noble... Photo-3574426.50494 - Houston Chronicle

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Onboard the Noble Discoverer, workers on the rig floor link up drill pipe. Shell is using the ship and its crew to finish the first half of a well in its Burger prospect in the Chukchi Sea -- with a plan to return next year and drill it to completion. (Photo: Jennifer A. Dlouhy / The Houston Chronicle) (Jennifer A. Dlouhy) less

Onboard the Noble Discoverer, workers on the rig floor link up drill pipe. Shell is using the ship and its crew to finish the first half of a well in its Burger prospect in the Chukchi Sea -- with a plan to ... more

Senior Drilling Supervisor Loyd Wallace was overseeing work on the Noble Discoverer when it drilled the first foot of Shell's latest Chukchi Sea well -- the first of its kind in more than two decades. Wallace said it felt like Christmas. "Everybody was excited," Wallace said. "Everybody was taking pictures." (Photo: Jennifer A. Dlouhy / The Houston Chronicle) (Jennifer A. Dlouhy) less

Senior Drilling Supervisor Loyd Wallace was overseeing work on the Noble Discoverer when it drilled the first foot of Shell's latest Chukchi Sea well -- the first of its kind in more than two decades. Wallace ... more

Kendall Duncan, assistant rig manager, and driller Sheldon Smith coordinate operations inside the drill shack on the Noble Discoverer. Duncan, who is from Poplarville, Miss., says he is still adjusting to the Arctic climate -- including the patches of ice that appear on the vessel. "It's like waking up in the Twilight Zone," Duncan says. (Photo: Jennifer A. Dlouhy / The Houston Chronicle) (Jennifer A. Dlouhy) less

Kendall Duncan, assistant rig manager, and driller Sheldon Smith coordinate operations inside the drill shack on the Noble Discoverer. Duncan, who is from Poplarville, Miss., says he is still adjusting to the ... more

The blowout preventer on the Noble Discoverer drillship has two sets of shearing rams meant to cut through drill pipe in case of an emergency. (Photo: Jennifer A. Dlouhy / The Houston Chronicle) (Jennifer A. Dlouhy) less

The blowout preventer on the Noble Discoverer drillship has two sets of shearing rams meant to cut through drill pipe in case of an emergency. (Photo: Jennifer A. Dlouhy / The Houston Chronicle) (Jennifer A. ... more

A view of the 160-foot-tall derrick on the Noble Discoverer.... Photo-3574432.50494 - Houston Chronicle

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Casing sits on the Noble Discoverer, ready to be run in the first half of the well Shell is drilling in the Chukchi Sea. (Photo: Jennifer A. Dlouhy / The Houston Chronicle) (Jennifer A. Dlouhy)

Casing sits on the Noble Discoverer, ready to be run in the first half of the well Shell is drilling in the Chukchi Sea. (Photo: Jennifer A. Dlouhy / The Houston Chronicle) (Jennifer A. Dlouhy)

Casing sits on the Noble Discoverer, ready to be run in the first... Photo-3574434.50494 - Houston Chronicle

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Casing sits on the Noble Discoverer, ready to be run in the first half of the well Shell is drilling in the Chukchi Sea. (Photo: Jennifer A. Dlouhy / The Houston Chronicle) (Jennifer A. Dlouhy)

Casing sits on the Noble Discoverer, ready to be run in the first half of the well Shell is drilling in the Chukchi Sea. (Photo: Jennifer A. Dlouhy / The Houston Chronicle) (Jennifer A. Dlouhy)

Casing sits on the Noble Discoverer, ready to be run in the first... Photo-3574435.50494 - Houston Chronicle

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Pete Slaiby, the vice president of Shell Alaska, surveys the scene on the drillship Noble Discoverer before leaving the vessel on Oct. 9, 2012. As Shell's top executive in Alaska, Slaiby is overseeing the company's new venture in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. (Photo: Jennifer A. Dlouhy / The Houston Chronicle) (Jennifer A. Dlouhy) less

Pete Slaiby, the vice president of Shell Alaska, surveys the scene on the drillship Noble Discoverer before leaving the vessel on Oct. 9, 2012. As Shell's top executive in Alaska, Slaiby is overseeing the ... more

An aerial view of Barrow, Alaska. With a relatively small footprint of about 22 square miles, the city is home to just over 4,000 residents. (Photo: Jennifer A. Dlouhy / The Houston Chronicle) (Jennifer A. Dlouhy) less

An aerial view of Barrow, Alaska. With a relatively small footprint of about 22 square miles, the city is home to just over 4,000 residents. (Photo: Jennifer A. Dlouhy / The Houston Chronicle) (Jennifer A. ... more

An aerial view of Barrow, Alaska. With a relatively small footprint... Photo-3574438.50494 - Houston Chronicle